GOVERNMENT
Bryce Edwards (Democracy Project): Luxon’s very low key start to the year
Tim Murphy (Newsroom): New Zealand, meet Christopher Luxon, Stoic philosopher
Joel MacManus (Spinoff): Luxon opens election year without a spark
Thomas Coughlan (Herald): In election year, Christopher Luxon plays it safe (paywalled)
Angus James: A State of the Nation without momentum
Henry Cooke (Post): Christopher Luxon warns voters not to expect too much as he notes what NZ can’t control (paywalled)
ODT: Editorial – Everything is awesome. Or not. (paywalled)
Lloyd Burr (Stuff): Five takeaways from Luxon’s State of the Nation address (including what turns him on)
Andrew Dickens (Newstalk ZB): My thoughts on Luxon’s State of the Nation speech
Sam Smith (Stuff): Luxon says ‘things are turning around’ in State of the Nation address
David Hargreaves (Interest): Prime Minister talks up ‘fixing the basics’ and warns against spending promises ahead of this year’s election
RNZ: ‘Management speak mumbo jumbo’: Hipkins responds to Luxon’s State of the Nation address
Henry Cooke (Post): State of Nation: Christopher Luxon says recovery ‘cut down’ in 2025 (paywalled)
Herald: Christopher Luxon signals Cabinet reshuffle as election year kicks off, polling date out ‘shortly’
Justin Hu (1News): PM launches National’s election pitch, ‘optimistic’ on economy
Daniel Vernon: Christopher Luxon’s ‘State of the Nation’ showcases his lack of leadership
Māni Dunlop (Te Ao News): State of the Nation - PM promises to ‘fix the basics’ sets agenda for election year
Simon Shepherd (NBR): Luxon: The recovery is here but don’t expect a ‘lolly scramble’ (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to deliver State of the Nation speech
Herald: Christopher Luxon’s election pitch — National ministers should be in charge of planning rules
Bernard Hickey: Luxon to begin election year with slogan refresh (paywalled)
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Jamie Ensor (Herald): New Zealand remains without an ambassador from the US, a year after Donald Trump’s inauguration (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): PM Christopher Luxon says tariffs ‘not the way forward’ in dispute over Greenland
Henry Cooke (Post): Christopher Luxon won’t criticise US over Maduro abduction or Greenland threats ‒ but says NZ still has voice (paywalled)
Emma Gleason (Spinoff): If the rules-based system is really crumbling, what could that mean for New Zealand?
Catherine McGregor (Spinoff): How Trump dragged New Zealand into his new world order
RNZ: Prime Minister Christopher Luxon invited to join Trump’s Gaza ‘board of peace’
Blessen Tom (RNZ): Māori delegation eyes deeper business, cultural ties with India
RNZ: New Zealand and Kiribati sign statement of partnership agreement
RESERVE BANK GOVERNOR ANNA BREMAN
Chris Trotter (Interest): Anna Breman’s call was the right one
Liam Dann (Herald): ‘She’s new in the job’ – Prime Minister and Finance Minister weigh in on Winston Peters’ rebuke of RBNZ Governor (paywalled)
Dita De Boni (Post): Nicola Willis chides Reserve Bank governor Anna Breman for no early-morning heads (paywalled)
Dileepa Fonseka (BusinessDesk): Nicola Willis questions Reserve Bank Governor Anna Breman’s Powell judgment call (paywalled)
Sam Smith (Stuff): RBNZ governor should have sought advice about Fed chair letter, Willis says
Roger J Kerr (Interest): Stronger NZ economy and sticky inflation become first major test for new RBNZ Governor
GOVERNMENT DECISION ON AUCKLAND HOUSING
Janet Wilson (Post): Christopher Luxon’s captain’s call increases the peril for Chris Bishop’s ambitions (paywalled)
Amelia Wade (Post): Christopher Luxon confirms Auckland housing plan retreat after ‘dynamic’ talks with Chris Bishop (paywalled)
Lillian Hanly (RNZ): Luxon on potential rethink of Auckland intensification after State of the Nation speech
HOUSING AND BUILDING
Katie Todd (RNZ): Concern ‘ghost houses’ will turn Queenstown into trainwreck
Anne Gibson (Herald): Invites to $3b of projects in two days. What a way to start 2026 (paywalled)
Ayla Yeoman (Local Democracy Reporting): ‘They will lose money’: Kāinga Ora to sell land it bought for $70.4m in 2021
Miriam Bell (Post): Do NZ house prices still double every 10 years? (paywalled)
PARLIAMENT AND GOVERNMENT
Derek Cheng (Herald): How Nicole McKee picked new firearms group members in Paul Goldsmith’s name (paywalled)
Ryan Bridge (Newstalk ZB): Should Luxon rip the band-aid off?
Ani O’Brien: Labour’s BlackRock climate fund collapsed without investing a dollar
Dave Armstrong (Post): Working from home: the prime ministerial dispatches (paywalled)
Verity Johnson (Stuff): It’s hard to care about climate change when you’re broke
Chris Trotter: Been there, done that (paywalled)
Chris Trotter: Nothing left of the Left (paywalled)
ECONOMY AND BUSINESS
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): Westpac survey shows New Zealanders are starting the year with financial stress
Susan Edmunds (RNZ): ANZ’s new floating interest rate means an extra $12m in profit - expert
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Fears rise over how long inflation can remain near 3% before Reserve Bank opts to get tough (paywalled)
Michael Neilson (BusinessDesk): Gentailer, energy companies record flat productivity growth over past decade (paywalled)
Mike Jones (Newsroom): Businesses’ belief in NZ economic recovery strengthens
MINING AND EXTRACTION
Ian Taylor (ODT): Chris — about this Bendigo mine
Ruby Shaw and Tim Scott (ODT): Actor, MP clash over mine: ‘Elitist’ v ‘mini Trump wannabe’ (paywalled)
Nina Hindmarsh (Press): Save Our Springs takes Sams Creek goldmine fight to High Court (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Minimal interest in offshore oil and gas exploration permits three months after ban lifted (paywalled)
Tom Pullar-Strecker (Post): Jetex seeks to revive Solid Energy’s plan to extract Waikato coal gas (paywalled)
ENVIRONMENT
David Williams (Newsroom): Crucial vote looms over fate of a murky river
Phil Lester (The Conversation): The yellow-legged hornet eradication is on track – but the next few months are crucial
Karanama Ruru (Stuff): Nearly 10,000 reports of yellow-legged hornets on Auckland’s North Shore
RNZ: More confirmed yellow-legged hornet sightings, but still confined to North Shore
Linda Hall (Local Democracy Reporting): Cats kill estimated 100 million birds a year in New Zealand
CARTOONS